Orlando, more than just theme parks

There are now more than 2 million people who call Orlando their home, and it’s growing. I started calling this city my home about 16 years ago when I moved here with my mom. The first thought I had was that Orlando is probably just a complement to Disney World and nothing else. However, I realized that it had a lot more to offer. From Winter Park and Park Ave to the thousands of lakes and parks around, the city has a lot to give. The best thing about living in Florida is that the weather is warm almost all year long, so a lot of things can be enjoyed in the outdoors. Park Ave in Winter Park has events like every first Thursday of the month, there are movies in the park, and during Christmas season there are various concerts and the famous lighting of the tree show which is an unique event.

In terms of shopping, Orlando has also more conscious food markets that offer fresh and organic products as well as new roads with nice shopping stores and malls. The Milenium and Florida Malls are huge and offer famous brands as well as more affordable ones.

The infrastructure of the city is also growing and a metro-train goes now through 3 different counties and reduces the amount of cars on the road. It made me very happy to see all of that. The line also links Winter Park to Downtown Orlando to have even a more fun time at night with tons of bars and restaurants without having to drive anywhere. Downtown Orlando has some great nightclubs, bars or street parties like the one on Wall Street. For a run or a romantic evening, the best is to head over to lake Eola to watch the fountain change colors at night and the swans walk right by you.

Not only Orlando has a nice city life, It’s closed to many beaches which offers relaxing time. After about 45 minutes drive, the beaches of Sarasota, Clearwater, Cocoa beach, or Daytona provide nice and clean areas to go swim, party or tan.

Orlando is indeed more than just about theme parks, it’s a lively and interesting city. There is so much to do here that Orlando was recently declared the number one spot in the USA for vacation destination. I am proud to call Orlando my home.

After a year of travel I can see my city growing and growing for the good of the people. During our short stay in Orlando, we didn’t have time to enjoy all of it but we still appreciated the clean, fast and organized lifestyle of Orlando.
We were actually busy to organize a special event :-). After a such amazing adventure around the world for 12 months,16 countries together and uncountable memories, we decided to get married ! 🙂

We wanted something small and cosy by the beach. Generously, Mayo and Jessica, along with my mom, my aunt and other closed friends, helped us organize this special event. That day was one of the happiest days of our lives and couldn’t have been possible without the help and love of the people closest to us. It has been an overwhelming period for us but we enjoyed every single minute of the 2 weeks we spent in Orlando. Amazing time having dinner in the garden with friends, coffee time on terraces, and our wedding by the beach made us have memorable moments to take with us back to Europe.

A new chapter to be open now, a longer journey together but surely the best of all !